All-Americans: An undercurrent of underclassmen
That's why we waited until now to reveal our All-American teams:
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| From top left, Michael Beasley, Tyler Hansbrough, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose and Stephen Curry. ( / Getty Images) |
First team
F — Michael Beasley, Kansas State — The versatile freshman averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds for the Wildcats and helped lead the team to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
F — Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina — The Tar Heels junior big man may not have had his best game in a loss to Kansas in the national semifinals, but he was a model of consistency all season. Psycho T averaged 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds and scored in double-figures every game this year.
C — Kevin Love, UCLA — The skilled freshman big man led the Bruins to a third straight Final Four before he and his teammates ran into an athletic Memphis bunch. Love averaged 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds.
G — Derrick Rose, Memphis — He may not have pulled a Carmelo, but the freshman floor leader was sensational — especially when it mattered most in the postseason. Rose finished the season averaging 14.9 points, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
G — Stephen Curry, Davidson — The knock on Dell's kid was that he played in the Southern Conference. However, he proved he can play against anyone when he went for 40 against Gonzaga, 30 in a win over Georgetown, 33 to beat Wisconsin and 25 in an Elite Eight loss to Kansas. His season averages: 25.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Second team
SF — Shan Foster, Vanderbilt — The Commodores senior was sensational this season, earning SEC Player of the Year honors and becoming the school's all-time leading scorer. He averaged 20.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and shot 47 percent from long distance.
PF — Luke Harangody, Notre Dame — The Irish sophomore big man overpowered and outworked opponents and finished the season with Big East Player of the Year honors, averaging 20.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
C — Brook Lopez, Stanford — The Cardinal sophomore big man made up for lost time after missing the first semester due to academics. He finished the season averaging 19.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 27 games.
PG — D.J. Augustin, Texas — The sophomore point guard helped lead a team that lost Kevin Durant all the way to the Elite Eight. Augustin had a tremendous season, averaging 19.2 points and 5.8 assists per contest.
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SG — Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis — It was a difficult decision between Curry and CDR. Douglas-Roberts' length and scoring ability was impressive all season — and he really stepped up his perimeter shooting this season. Season average: 18.1 points and 4.1 rebounds.
Third team
F — Brandon Rush, Kansas — The Jayhawks won it with balance, but the athletic junior wing deserves a spot after coming back from a torn ACL and stepping up his game when it mattered most. Rush averaged 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds and shot 42 percent from long range.
F — Tyler Smith, Tennessee — The versatile forward did everything for Bruce Pearl's team. The Iowa transfer came back home and averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per contest.
C — D.J. White, Indiana — The Big Ten Player of the Year was a consistent scorer and rebounder all season (17.4 ppg, 10.3 rpg) and also became a leader for a team that had to deal with quite a bit of adversity.
G — Eric Gordon, Indiana — The Hoosiers freshman scoring guard struggled down the stretch, but it doesn't take away what he did all season long. He finished the year with impressive numbers (20.9 ppg).
G — Mario Chalmers, Kansas — Not only did he hit the biggest shot of the entire college basketball campaign, but he also sacrificed his offense this season for the team's success. Chalmers was a terrific defender all year long and averaged 12.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals this season.
Fourth team
F — Ryan Anderson, California — He's the only guy on the list that didn't play in the Big Dance. However, the skilled 6-foot-10 sophomore averaged 21.1 points and 9.9 rebounds this season.
F — Joe Alexander, West Virginia — People seem to forget what he did down the stretch and in the postseason. The junior forward averaged 23 points and 7.5 rebounds in the final 11 games.
C — David Padgett, Louisville — The senior big man's numbers were modest (11.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg), but he single-handedly turned around the Cardinals' season with his intelligence and leadership.
G — Mike Green, Butler — The Bulldogs senior guard did it all — averaging 14.6 points. 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists for a team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
G — Jerryd Bayless, Arizona — The Wildcats freshman missed four games with an injury, but he was impressive when healthy — averaging 19.7 points and 4.0 assists.
Player of the Year
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina — This certainly wasn't easy since the Tar Heels junior big man had competition from the likes of freshmen Michael Beasley and Kevin Love. However, Hansbrough had the best year of his career and led UNC to the Final Four. He plays hard each and every possession and was a double-double for much of the season.
Runner-up: Michael Beasley, Kansas State
Coach of the Year
Matt Painter, Purdue — No one ever figured that Painter's young Boilermakers would even make the NCAA tournament, never mind get a win in the Big Dance. For a while, it appeared as though Purdue would win the Big Ten. He had four freshmen who played key minutes and still managed to finish 25-9 overall and 15-3 in the Big Ten.
Runner-up: Keno Davis, Drake
Freshman of the Year
Michael Beasley, Kansas State — Statistically, the Wildcats skilled frosh had an even better season than Kevin Durant a year ago. There's no telling what he and his team could have done if K-State had better guard play. Beasley scored virtually at will and outdistanced Love and Derrick Rose for this honor.
Runner-ups: Kevin Love, UCLA and Derrick Rose, Memphis
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